Blitz (Blast Brothers #3) - Sabrina Stark Page 0,79

liked anyone." I gave her fingers a tender squeeze. "And I know you like me, too."

"Yeah, but…" She shook her head. "That really doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"Because…" She paused. "Well, do you want the truth?"

"Sure, hit me."

"Well…I guess I'm not into the whole open-relationship thing."

What the hell? The thought of Mina with another guy – well, I didn't like it. "And who says I am?"

Again, she hesitated. "Well…I'm just saying, I know you like to play the field."

I released her hand. "And you know this how?"

"Oh, come on, Chase. I don't want to be rude or anything, but everyone knows that you're not a one-girl kind of guy."

I felt my jaw clench. "I'm no Bryce, if that's what you think."

"I never said you were."

"The hell you didn't."

"No. I truly didn't. Just listen, okay? With Bryce, I had no idea he was like that. But with you, I already know, so it's different. See?"

"No."

"I just mean, today was really nice…"

I gave her a look. "Nice."

"Yes. Really nice. But I don't want to be an idiot."

What the hell was she saying? "You're not."

"I know. And I want to keep it that way. I just mean, I don't want to think we have one thing and then be surprised to learn we have another."

"So what are saying?" I stared down at her. "That today was a one-time deal?" Shit. Talk about a role-reversal.

The irony was a real kick to the groin.

Mina hesitated. "Well, I thought it was a one-time thing."

"And now?"

"I don't know."

"Alright." Working hard to keep my cool, I asked, "So how do you see this playing out?"

"I have no idea. I just know I don't want to get a nasty surprise down the road."

A surprise – like me fucking her friend in another state.

So that's who she thought I was?

If so, I didn't like it. "Except with me, it wouldn’t be a surprise. That's what you're saying?"

"Well, if it happened now, it wouldn't be a surprise. But let's say we're together a month or two. And then it happens. I would be surprised, and that's the problem, because by then, I'd be emotionally attached."

The more she talked, the less I liked what I was hearing. "And you're not now."

She sighed. "I don't know."

I studied her face. "You do know life has no guarantees, right?"

"Of course I know," she said. "I’m just thinking of the odds. That's all."

"The odds of what? Me cheating? That's what you're telling me?"

"Just let me ask you this," she said. "Have you ever been loyal? I mean, to any other girl?"

I refused to lie. "No."

"See?"

"Because I haven't been exclusive before."

Her brow wrinkled in apparent confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Take Angelique," I said. "She wasn't my girlfriend."

Mina gave me a skeptical look. "Did she know that?"

"Hell yeah, she knew." I flicked my head toward the guest room. "You wanna know why I have a closetful of her clothes?"

"Why?"

"Because she kept having her stuff delivered to my place. Dresses, undergarments, you name it. And I told her straight-up, it wasn't gonna happen."

Mina glanced toward the guest room. "That what wasn't going to happen?"

"That she wasn't moving in, no matter what ended up in my closets."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything," Mina said. "You can still be exclusive without living together."

"Sure. Except we weren't exclusive. And I never lied to her."

Mina gave me another skeptical look. "Really? What about a lie by omission?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean, did you ever say, 'Hey, Angelique, I'm not your boyfriend, and just so you know in advance, I'm going to sleep around as much as I want'?"

"You bet your ass I did."

"Oh, stop it," she said. "You did not."

"The hell I didn't. So you're calling me a liar?"

"Oh come on. That's not fair."

"Why not?"

"Because," she said, "by definition, a liar is someone who lies. And you and I both know that you're willing to lie sometimes if you think there's a good enough reason."

"You mean today." I stared down at her. "Do I need to say it?"

"Say what? That you lied for my benefit, not your own?" She winced. "I know, which is why I feel rotten for pointing it out. But I'm just saying, I don't think you know what you're talking about."

"You're wrong," I told her. "I know exactly what I'm talking about."

And I did.

I wanted Mina like I'd never wanted anyone. And I sure as fuck didn't want anyone else having her.

As far as exclusivity, sure, I'd never tried it. But to make Mina my own, it was worth the